From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Summer Book

Tove Jansson,

Esther Freud (Contributor)

Start date: July 15, 2020

Finish date: August 1, 2020

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Barb

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Showing 2 of 434 topics — 16,975 comments total

Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
By Lynn · 1 post · 49 views

last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM

The Winners!
By Lynn · 5 posts · 18 views

last updated 9 hours, 33 min ago

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What Members Thought

Dec 30, 2016 Dree rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-read, 2016-reads, scandinavia

A series of vignettes, with 3 characters--grandma, dad, and 6-year-old Sophia. They spend every summer on an island in the sea, fishing, playing, gardening, watching nature. Sophia is a bit of a spitfire, dad is very busy fishing and doing undefined paperwork, and grandma isn't feeling that great in her old age. Bittersweet and sad, yet somehow happy and exciting as Sophia explores more and more. Makes me want to go spend a summer on a Scandinavian island. ...more

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Oct 07, 2025 William rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2025

A terrific book in a very quiet way. It transports the reader to the small island where a 6 year old girl spends a Finnish summer with her father and, more importantly, her grandmother. The two share experiences good and bad, happy and sad. She behaves as one would expect a six year old to do, sometime screaming at her grandmother, often letting her imagination run free, often expressing wonder at what she discovers. Through it all, a wonderful bond is forged.

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Oct 05, 2016 Cdrueallen rated it liked it

A sweet and well-written portrayal of the relationship between a young child and her grandmother during their summers on a remote Finnish island, but a little too simplistic and sentimental for me.

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